Meter fixes bring billing questions in Frankfort

FRANKFORT, N.Y. – Replacement of the nodes, or batteries, in water and electric meters in the village of Frankfort is about 98 percent complete and that means customers are seeing some higher bills.

Chris Fatata attended Thursday’s village board meeting to ask about a $425 water bill he received for a rental property he used to own.

Mayor Richard Adams explained that the water meters are designed to send an electronic signal through other meters back to the village, showing how much water has been used. Because the nodes had been failing, the village was not receiving accurate information and had been using an average amount to bill customers. Once the new batteries were installed and the system was operating again, it updated the amount of water used and the bills were based on actual usage. He said he has directed the office staff to work with customers, allowing them to pay a little at a time if necessary to catch up their bills.

"Legally we can’t forgive a water bill," he said.

Fatata questioned the amount of water usage indicated in the bill, saying that only one person was living at the residence.

He also said the battery had been replaced in 2016.

Department of Public Works Foreman Mike Irons pointed out that running a hose to water the lawn for 24 hours would result in the use of more than 60,000 gallons of water. He said there is also a manual readout on the meters that property owners can check to confirm the amount of water used.

Adams said the battery installed last year had likely failed in a short period of time, so earlier bills still did not reflect actual water usage.

Irons said the nodes have been replaced in most homes. The exceptions are some vacant properties and some properties where residents are refusing to comply with the contractor’s request to enter their homes to make the replacements.

Adams said a letter would be going out to non-compliant customers advising them if they don’t cooperate, their services will be shut off.

Office Manager Cindy Ciccone said there have been some calls from residents about the higher bills, but not as many as she had expected. She added that some residents have difficulty understanding the explanation.

The mayor announced in May that Mueller Systems, the company that installed the meters, would be hiring a contractor to replace the batteries at no cost to the village. The contractor has been calling village residents to make appointments to enter their homes and install new batteries. When the system was installed, the village eliminated a meter reader position because the new meters are designed to send the information needed for billing directly to the village.

There have been problems with the meters for several years, according to Adams. Village officials were told the batteries would last for at least 20 years, but because they were constantly sending out signals they were failing in a fraction of that time.

Initially, Mueller was replacing the nodes at no cost to the village, it still fell to village workers to install them and because the meters are inside homes that meant contacting residents to arrange a time to do the work.